


Arbitrary Notions of Date and Time

by DoubleNegative



Series: The Beehive: 221Bs [6]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: 221B Ficlet, Birthday, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 22:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1916073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoubleNegative/pseuds/DoubleNegative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's John Watson's birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arbitrary Notions of Date and Time

Sherlock didn't actually _make_ the tea, but he did fetch the mugs from the drying rack.

"The human conception of the passage of time is entirely artificial," he said. "Although we assign it considerable significance, its meaning is symbolic and arbitrary, not inherent to the nature of the universe. Newton would disagree, of course,” he added thoughtfully.

John blinked. "Right," he said, and went back to stirring his tea.

“The ancient Egyptians may have used a variety of calendar systems, including one based on the movement of Sirius,” Sherlock said later. He crossed the room to fetch his computer, although John’s lay nearly a meter closer, not in use and with only the flimsiest attempt at password protection.

Sherlock tried again later, this time with the sheaf of take away menus as his proffered gift. "The modern Gregorian calendar is just the latest in hundreds, if not thousands, of methods of timekeeping. It’s by far the most accurate, astronomically speaking, though of course the utility of that depends on what exactly one is trying to measure." This skirted dangerously close to philosophy for Sherlock’s taste, but for John, he could brave the discomfort.

"Ye-esss," John said slowly, although he clearly had no idea what Sherlock was trying to say.

Well then. Drastic times, drastic measures.  "I mean," Sherlock said. "Happy birthday."

**Author's Note:**

> I… seem to recall seeing somewhere that July 7 is (fanonically) John Watson’s birthday? So I wrote a 221b about it on the Metro. And if today is not his birthday, well, I still wrote a 221b on the Metro, and dammit, that ought to count for something.
> 
> Originally posted on my tumblr, @ onethousandhurrahs.tumblr.com


End file.
